Stroke Injuries

Our Baltimore Attorneys Can Help Get Compensation for Your Injuries

Warning Signs

Strokes are the third leading medical cause of death in the United States,
the main cause of long-term disability in adults, and they cost upwards
of $70 billion dollars each year in medical costs. A stroke occurs when
blood flow is interrupted to any part of the brain. If blood flow stops
for more than several seconds, the brain is deprived of oxygen and brain
cells can die. A person suffering from a stroke needs immediate medical
attention to prevent brain damage and death.

Symptoms of stroke depend greatly on what part of the brain is damaged,
but they can either develop suddenly and without warning, or occur on
and off for a day or two, but get increasingly worse. If stroke is caused
by bleeding in the brain, a headache may occur. The headache may occur
when a person is laying flat, it may wake a person up from sleep, and
it may get worse with the change of position. Other symptoms may include
sleepiness, changes in hearing and taste, clumsiness, confusion, difficulty
swallowing, trouble reading or writing, dizziness, lack of control of
the bladder, loss of balance and coordination, muscle weakness, numbness
or tingling, trouble speaking, or trouble walking.

Diagnosis & Care

In order to determine the type, location, and cause of the stroke, physician’s
generally complete both physical and neurological exam. A CT scan or an
MRI scan of the brain is also usually done on the patient. If the stroke
could have been caused by a blood clot from the heart, an echocardiogram
may be done. A carotid duplex enables the physician to see if narrowing
of the neck arteries led to the stroke. An angiogram of the head can reveal
which blood vessel is blocked or bleeding. Lab tests typically include
a complete blood count, bleeding time, and blood clotting tests. A spinal
tap may also be done.

Expenses

Brain injuries that result from a stroke often are the end result of a
sequence of errors related to diagnosis, treatment, or even surgery. If
your doctor failed to recognize and treat the symptoms of stroke, our
medical malpractice lawyers may be able to recover compensation for you and your loved ones.
When brain injury is the result of a physician’s negligence or a
violation of standards of care, he or she may be legally liable for the
resulting damages. In the worst cases, severe brain damage can result
in extreme disability or even death. If you or a loved one believe that
a medical error,
misdiagnosis, or delayed diagnosis contributed to devastating consequences resulting
from a stroke, contact the brain injury lawyers at the Law Offices of
Wais, Vogelstein, Forman & Offutt for a free consultation.

Treatment Centers

The best treatment options attempt to restore blood flow to the brain and
reduce the chances of further injury. Common non-surgical treatment options
for stroke include administering a variety of drugs. Thrombolysis is generally
the first treatment administered when an individual is brought to the
hospital. It opens up blocked blood vessels and restores blood flow to
the brain, but it has quite a few limitations. It must be administered
within three hours of the stroke and the patient cannot be on certain
medications or have any diseases that weaken their blood vessels. Although
this therapy option is quite limited, it is currently the only FDA-approved
treatment option. Other treatment options include drugs that address anticoagulation
(thinning the blood), antihypertension (reducing blood pressure to avoid
hemorrhage), and antiplatelet (reducing inflammation).

Books & Resources

For more information on stroke injuries, the following resources are available:

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.